The Empty Crowd
by sstarchild
Summary: Syaoran the ex-heir of the biggest corporation finds a girl in the middle of the city. She doesn't know who she is. Meiling finds them and things ensue.


                         The Empty Crowd

  Syaoran Li strolled through the assemblage of the crowd all joshing and pressing their warm husk of fleshes together in an attempt to get somewhere.  And then they would hurry to go back to where they came from.  It was an endless cycle that would be repeated and repeated, an infinity sign without all the grace of its curves.  He wasn't in a great rush though.  As a restorer for the local art museum his schedule was not filled to the brim with meetings and socializing.  In fact he didn't really socialize.  Art restoration was not exactly a conversation opener, and wine for party gifts were expensive.  

  He had gotten a letter from the electrical company the day before.  Scowling at the memory he kicked a pebble as he walked, head bent.  The letter said the electrical bill had not been paid for two months but he was certain that he had put the letter with the check in the mailbox.  Now, he was heading to the company to talk to a representative, someone who would have to listen to him.  The ten blocks to the company's local branch wasn't so bad.  It was better than attempting to navigate their touch tone phone system.  

  So his mother had been right.  If he had listened to her he would be the head of the clan right now, the biggest company in this country.  Almost every product was stamped with the seal of the wolf's eye.  Yet, in his heart Syaoran knew he could never stand the life of simpering and coddling of company figureheads.  Of course he also would not be living in the dump of an apartment he lived in now, with his electricity about to be cut off...

  Suddenly, he spied a flower bud on the ground.  That was strange.  It was the middle of the winter and no flowers bloomed now.  When he had been a child and still under the guardianship of the clan they had gone to great great great great grandfather's grave.  There had been trees there that seemed to grow in twisted shapes as if they were more alive than humans were.  And there had been flowers like that, whole trees full of pink buds and flowers dying to unfurl into all their fragranced glory.  So hesitating a moment, he reached down to pick it up, but hesitation in this crowd would not be accepted.  Quickly he was pushed, and as his weight was all leaning forward he crashed into the person standing in front of him.  

Standing up trying to get the hair out of his face, Syaoran extended his hand to help the other person up.  "Sorry" he mumbled, ashamed of his own stupidity.  Who stopped in the middle of a crowd to pick up a flower bud?  That was insane.  Maybe he was insane.  

And then he paused.  The rest of his words got caught in the back of his throat, a ball of butterflies crushed together so that it hurt-in a pleasant way.  

It was a girl he had run into to, standing there not even brushing the dust off her clothes.  She was dressed a little too weirdly-even for the city's tastes.  A long duster served as her coat, the ivory lace trimming it contrasted with the dark red dress she had underneath.  She looked frail, out of place, and resolutely unemotional even though the temperature outside was only 40 degrees and her duster didn't look very thick. In fact it spookily had the same sheerness as those flowers from his memories.

And she was beautiful of course, in a distinctive, rare way.  He wanted to take her in his arms and hide her under his thick wool coat.  And then he would carry her home to his very warm bed.  Of course…he didn't.   

When he got his voice back Syaoran managed to say with great difficulty in a semi non-squeaking voice, "I didn't mean to run into you.  It's just the crowd and joshing…"  He didn't mention the flower bud.  He knew he sounded lame even before he said the words.  "Are you okay? Can I help you with something?  Get you a cab..."  

She had stood there just looking at him with her purple eyes.  Oh wait…were they green?  He couldn't tell.  It seemed like the pulsated with colors, the only really animate thing about her.  

She stepped forward as if to say something, but the light flickered out of her eyes and she fell forward…

…into his arms

He felt the weight of her in his arms.  She was no heavier than a bird.  She looked like a bird too.  Her legs were long and thin and her hands had fingers that stretched out like wings.

"What do we have here?"  A woman with long black hair smirked as she came towards them, the crowd unconsciously parting before her.  

Syaoran groaned.  Meiling had found him. 

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Guess who the girl is =) And please review! 


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